The ice melts in the Prime Minister's New Year's speech

When Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen gave her New Year's speech 2026 from Marienborg north of Copenhagen, it was with a striking Greenlandic artwork in the background.

Behind the Prime Minister's words hung the lithograph "Sermeq aattoq" – in Danish "The ice is melting" – by the Greenlandic artist Aka Høegh.

The choice of decoration is rarely random. According to the Ministry of State, design, literature or art – preferably from different parts of the Commonwealth – is often selected as a visual framework for the New Year's speech. This year, a lithographic print by a Greenlandic artist whose works are characterised by nature, myths and legends from Greenland was chosen. Incidentally, this is not the only work by Aka Høegh at Marienborg – there are several more.

“The Ice is Melting” is a lithographic print, executed in a strict, graphic idiom. The lithograph is dominated by deep blue shades, white surfaces and dark contrasts, which together form a landscape in motion. Shapes flow into each other like ice that breaks, melts and shifts. The lines are both calm and restless at the same time, like slow-moving currents beneath a surface that is about to give way.

The motif may be reminiscent of ice masses seen from above, of fjords opening up, or of cracks where something is about to emerge. It is not a naturalistic landscape, but rather a condensation of moods and movements. The graphic clarity of the lithography gives it an almost cool precision, while the organic movement of the colors and shapes adds a sensual depth.

The longer you look at the picture, the more it seems to change. Surfaces that first appear as ice can also be read as water, rock or shadow. There is an openness in the subject that makes the eye constantly find new connections.

A commentary on a changing world

The lithograph was created in 2007 as part of a group of four motifs. The title “Sermeq aattoq – The ice is melting” points directly to a thematic core that has only become more relevant since then: global warming and the changes it is triggering.

She also emphasizes that the lithographs were made long before the current political reality that many today associate with the Arctic and Greenland.

- I made the lithographs in 2007. It was my comment on global warming – a changing world, explains Aka Høegh by email, emphasizing that she is proud that the work was included in the Prime Minister's New Year's speech. She continues:

- The lithographs were made long before the current political reality that many today associate with the Arctic and Greenland.

Open interpretations

Precisely because the motif does not fix a specific narrative, it is open to interpretation. One can see melting ice as an image of climate change, but one can also read the motif more broadly: as an image of movement, dissolution and new realizations.

When the ice melts, something emerges. Layers that were previously hidden become visible. These can be landscapes, structures or traces that were previously hidden beneath the surface. In this way, the lithograph can also be read as an image of change in a more figurative sense – of what emerges when familiar frames are shifted.

Seen in a contemporary context, one can choose to link such images to current political and geopolitical discussions. Melting ice in the Arctic not only has climatic consequences, but has also sharpened international attention to Greenland – its resources, its strategic importance and its location in a changing world. That reading is one among several, and precisely the ambiguity is part of the work's strength.

As a backdrop for the Prime Minister's New Year's speech, "The Ice is Melting" did not serve as an illustration of a specific political message, but rather as a visual sounding board. A work that, in its quiet graphic power, reflects themes of change, responsibility and the future without providing clear answers.

The calm but undefined movement of the lithograph contrasted with the words of the speech and gave the space an extra dimension. A work of art that does not speak out loud, but remains present – even after the speech is over.

On loan from Vejle

The lithograph, which was part of the decoration for the New Year's speech, has been loaned to the Prime Minister's Ministry by Galleri Thordals in Vejle, which represents Aka Høegh and has the work in their collection.

That a lithographic print created almost two decades ago can enter a new context and gain new resonance underlines precisely how art lives over time. Meanings shift, new layers are added, and interpretation remains open – as the world around the work continues to change.